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How to sell even the most reluctant retail clients on that next great design concept.
Everyone in retail is selling ideas – even the store associate fluffing up a sweater display. But what do you do when that can’t-miss idea you know customers will love is resisted because of classic, fearing-the-unknown, risk-averse behavior? How do you make buyers of ideas more comfortable?
First, “Think your ideas through and take away the variables,” says Bruce Edwards, vp of Fame, a Minneapolis retail branding agency. “An idea should feel risky only because it’s something they’ve never done – not because it’s not well-planned or well-designed.”
That will help you establish trust with the client. Mike Donabauer, vp, global marketing and planning, at Wolverine Footwear Group (Rockford, Mich.), says, “If I don’t have trust, the idea’s just not relevant. Do they have the appropriate experience? Do they understand my business?” Here are some practical tips for selling creative ideas.
Tell a story. The retail design industry is so visually oriented it often overlooks words as a selling tool. “If I have to explain your ideas to someone else, what are the words I’d use?” asks Donabauer. A story illuminates associations not visible on first impression. At Whole-Brained Creative (Granville, Ohio), we write a “brand story” in the brand’s tone of voice to detail a mental picture of the idea. Of course, that requires identifying – and capturing – the appropriate tone of voice.
Share what inspires you. When retail design firm Chute Gerdeman (Columbus, Ohio) designed Club Libby Lu, it first went shopping with a group of young girls, then gave them crayons and markers and had them design the “coolest, most awesomest store in the universe.” Chute based its floor plans on those ideas, which made for a convincing presentation. Similarly, when it was asked to incorporate the M&M characters into the M&M’s World flagship store, Chute Gerdeman first created an apartment for the characters. Brian Shafley, the firm’s president, decided the characters preferred real-life, modern furniture that looked like them, such as the classic marshmallow sofa. The apartment concept, too merchandise-specific to be practical, still inspired fixtures, furniture and finishes.
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